Friday, February 27, 2009

Shocked passengers watched in horror on Thursday as two men shot and killed a Durban bus driver and a conductor.

A Nu-Line bus was en route to Newlands when the men, allegedly posing as passengers, confronted the bus driver.

A witness, Kyle Ramlugan, who was returning home from the city, said: "The men shot the driver first and then shot the conductor while he was trying to run away.

"As he fell down, they stole all the money from his pockets and ran across the road."

Hysterical passengers ran to the back of the bus as it jerked to a halt when the driver was killed, said Ramlugan.

The suspects sat quietly in the bus during the trip from town and they made their move when the bus reached Inanda Road, he said. ER24 spokesperson Derrick Banks said the bus driver and the conductor died at the scene. Inconsolable relatives and friends of the dead men had to be restrained by police as they tried to make their way to the bodies.

The co-owner of the bus, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said neither the company nor its drivers had received any threats before the shooting. "This is the first time any of our buses or employees have been targeted.

The driver had only been working for us for about five days and the conductor had been working for us on and off for a while." He added that it was "a very sad thing that happened, but it was a reflection of crime in our country".

Police spokesperson Superintendent Muzi Mngomezulu said the Greenwood Park police were investigating a case of armed robbery and murder.